Chimney-cleaning apparatus



(No Model.) N. P. SMITH 8v'P. P. LAWLER.

CHIMNEY ULEANING APPARATUS.

Patented Aug. 13, 1895.

siren TATES a FFICE.

NOAH P. SMITH, OF RANSOM, AND PATRICK F. LAWLER, OF PITTSTON,

Y PENNSYLVANIA.

CHIMNEY-CLEANING APPARATUS.

PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,522, dated August 13, 1895. Application filed October 25, 1894. Serial No. 526.937- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NOAH P. SMITH, residing at Ransom, in the county of Lackawanna, and PATRICK F. LAWLER, residing at Pittston, in the county of Luzerne, State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chimney-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.-

Our invention relates to chimney-cleaning apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide apparatus by means of which accumulations ofsoot may be removed from chimneys quickly and at slightexpense, while at the same time the dirt is prevented from getting into the, apartments with which the chimney communicates.

I Our invention consists in securing to one of the openings of the chimney, preferably the lowest one, a plate or cover, so as to'close the opening air-tight. Through this plate extends an adjustable steam-pipe, the inner end of which is.provided with a jet extending at right angles to the pipe. The latter may be revolved so as to direct the jet downward to clean the bottom of the flue and upward to clean the upper portion of the chimney. Steam is supplied from any suitable source, usually from a'portable boiler.

Our invention will be understood more clearly by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a portion of a chimney with the cleaning apparatus applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a view of the expansible ring for fitting within different sizes of chimney-openings. solid ring, and Fig. 5 is a view of the coveringplate.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the chimney, in which there is shown an upper pipe-hole 2 and a lower pipe-hole 3, also a clean-out hole 4 at the bottom of the chimney. When it is desired to clean the chimney, we first place a ring within each of the holes and clamp it therein in some suitable manner. In Fig. 3 we have shown a ring 5, which is adjustable to pipe-holes of diiferent sizes. It consists of a circular strip, preferably of steel, having its Fig. 4 is a View of a ends overlapping and united by a bolt 6. A

series of holes in the overlapping ends permits the ring to be expanded to different sizes, and the bolt 6 holds it firmly when adjusted to the particular size desired. After the ring is fitted to the chimney-hole it is held tightly therein by means of set-screws 7, which impinge upon the inner wall of the pipe-hole and form a support for the cover-plate and nozzle. The ring is also provided with threaded holes 8. There isacover-plate 9,provided with one or more sets of holes 10, through which screws 11 are passed, said screws fitting the threaded holes 8 in the expansible ring. A disk 12, of india-rubber or other suitable packing material, is preferably placed between the cap-plate 9 and the wall of the chimney, and the bolts 11 are then screwed tightly in the ring 5, thus clamping the rubber disk between the plate and the chimney and tightly closing the pipe-hole. Similar covers may be placed over all of the chimney-openings during the cleaning operation.

In the center of one of the plates 9 is a threaded hole 13, through which is passed a threaded pipe 14, upon the inner end of which is a nozzle 15, directed at right angles to the pipe. The threaded joint between the coverplate and the pipe permits of ready adjustment of the pipe in and out to suit different thicknesses of chimney-walls'and also permits the pipe to'be turned to direct the nozzle either up or down. A hose 16 connects the pipe 1a with a boiler 17, which, as shown, is preferably a portable boiler capable of being readily transported from house to house. Instead of the ring 5 we may use a series of solid rings or supports 18, of different sizes, having expansible screws 7, as is shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of our invention is very simple and effective. Having adjusted the caps to the various openings of the chimney and adjusted the steam-pipe so that the nozzle 15 is about in the center of the flue, we then turn on the steam and direct the nozzle both up and down the flue. The soot will be quickly loosened from the flue of the chimney and will be blown out or will drop to the bottom, depending upon the force of steam applied. The soot which goes to the bottom can readily be removed from the clean-out hole after the steam is turned off. Instead of steam we may use compressed air or other gas or vapor, as

may be most expedient.

It will be evident that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement and having a nozzle on its inner end adapted to direct the steam or other fluid from the pipe into the flue of the chimney, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an expansible ring adjustable to fit pipe holes of different sizes,

and provided with set screws, of a cover plate and means for attaching the cover plate to the expansible ring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

NOAH P. SMITH. PATRICK F. LAWLER.

WVitnesses:

B. B. WINCHESTER, THos. D. SHEA. 

